Driving mechanism for motor-driven vehicles.



H. T. HANSEN.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1905, Patented 001]. 27, 1908.

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DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29,1905. 902, 149. Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS THEODORE HANSEN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, TO '1. D. LOVERING, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

DRIVING NHICHANISM FOR MOTOR-DRIVEN VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Application flied. May 29, 1905. Serial No. 262,760.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HANS THEODORE HAN- SEN, a citizen of theUnitedStates, residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State oflVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in DrivingMechanism for Motor-Driven Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in driving mechanism for motordriven vehi cles.

The object of my invention is to provide a form of driving mechanismwhich will not be affected by the strains due to the jolting or tiltingof the vehicle, or any part thereof, and in which the number of jointsin the motion transmitting connections will be re duced to a minimum.

A further object of my invention is to provide a form of construction inwhich the motion transmitting connections may be wholly incased insuitable jointed housings and protected from mud, dust or other foreignmatter.

In the following description reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my invention as it. isapplied to the running gear of a vehicle: portions of the frame beingremoved. Fig. 2 is a detail side view of the central portion of theauxiliary frame. Fig. 3 is a side view of my invention showing portionsof the same in central longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a detailsectional view drawn on line :1 a of Fig. 3.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutthe several views.

1 and 2 are the front and rear wheels of a motor. driven vehicle.

3 is a main frame, mounted upon springs 4 and supported from thenon-rotatable front and rear axle bars 5 and 6 respectively. Anauxiliary frame 9 is supported in the main frame with which it isconnected at its front corners 1'1) and at its rear end the auxiliaryframe is centrally connected to a cross bar 11 of the frame as indicatedat 12 near the center of the main frame. Hangers 13 are attached to thesides of the main frame near its transverse center and strut rods 14 and16 extend from these hangers to the non-rotatable axle bars 5 and 6.These strut rods have jointed connection with the hangers at 15.

The motor 20 is supported from the frame 5 and 9, and is provided with afly wheel 21 and shaft 22. which extends into a casing 23, adapted tocontain suitable mechanism for varying the speed of the shaft 24 whichleads outwardly from the said casing. The

shaft 24 is jointed at 25 and 26 and its motion is comn'ninicated to therear wheels. through differential gear at 27, shaft 28, bevel pinion 29,and bevel gear wheel 30. The latter is mounted on the rotary axle shaft31 located within the rear wheeLaxle (i. The motion of the shaft 24 isalso communicated to the front wheels through the differential gear 27and the shaft 35, which is provided with a universal joint 36 andconnected with the front rotary axle shaft 40 by the bevel pinion 38 andgear Wheel 39. The joint 36 is in line with the joints of the strut rodsand hanger bars at 15.

An inclosing casing for the shafts 28. 35, and for the differentialgearing, is centrally supported from the main frame3bya yoke 42, and therespective ends of the casing are supported from the non-rotatable axlebars 6. In the construction shown, this casing is formed in sections.End sections inclose the beveled gear wheels through which motion istransmitted to the rotary axle shafts and these sections 45 connect theend portions of the non rotatable axles. Tubular sections 46 inclose theshafts 28 and 35 respectively and inner sections 47 and 48 are connectedwith each other by a universal joint (preferably. of the ball and sockettype), the members of which comprise concentric spherical shellsihclosing the shaft joint 36 and having openings of sniiicient size topermit the necessary movement. The outer member of this joint is fittedto the curved inner surface of the yoke 42 which supports it from themain frame.

The casing 50, which incloses the differential gearing 27, is providedwith arms 51. which are pivotally connected at their outer ends withsleeves 53onthe strut rods llnihus permitting a certain mobility of theparts when one of the vehicle wheels is independently raised or lowered.

\Vith the described construction. it is obvious that the rea r wheels ofthe vehicle may be lifted or lowered without strain upon the driving-onnections or the casings therefor. since these parts swing upon an.axis common to the pivotal connection of the strut rods. The vehiclesprings permit suflicient longitudinal or separati movement of theemployed in transmitting power to all of the wheels and the motion istransmitted directly from the variable speed shaft 24 to the motiontransmitting shafts 28 and through differential gears supported by acasing which also has a universal joint corresponding with the axis ofthe strut joints and the joint of the shaft 35. The motion transmittingshafts 28 and 35 are progvided with suitable bearings in the casing.

The front wheels are preferably used for steering the vehicle, but asthe steering mechanism forms no part of the present invention, it is noti] ustrated. It will also be understood that differential gearing (notshown) will .be used in connection with the rotar axle shafts wherebythe speed. of whee s on opposite sides of the vehicle is permitted tovary, such gearing being common to nearly all motor driven vehicles.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is- 1 In a motor driven vehicle, the combmation of a motor mounted on a yielding frame,

and connected to drive the four wheels through rotary axle shafts,saidconnections comprising a flexible motor shaft, and a set of transmissionshafts connected therewith'by differential gearing, and operativelyconnected to drive the resp'ectiveaxle shafts, one of the transmissionshafts being flexibly jointed between said, differential gearing and theaxle shaft, and supported at the joint from the yielding frame. a

2. In a motor driven vehicle, the combination With-the axle bars, of amain frame yieldingly supported therefrom; a casing connecting the axlebars and supported from the main frame at an intermediate point; a

motor mounted on the main frame and provided with jointedpowertransmitting shafting entering said casing; and power transmlttingconnections in-said casing, operatively connected with said jointedshafting;

said casing and power transmitting connections being provided withflexible joints at the point of support from the main frame.

3. In a motor driven vehicle, the combination with the axle bars, of amainframe yieldingly supported therefrom; a casing connecting the axlebars and so ported from the main frame at an interme iate point; a

motor mounted on the main frame and provided with jointed powertransmitting shaftmg entering said casing; and power transmittingconnections in said casing, operatively connected with said jointedshafting;

transmission shafts being said casing and power transmitting connectionsbeing rovided with flexible joints at the point 0 support from the mainframe, together with a set of strut rods-connected with one of the axlebars and having jointed connection with the main frame in a transverseline through said flexible joints.

4. In a motor driven vehicle, the combination with the axle bars, of amain frame yieldingly supported therefrom; a casing connecting the axlebars and supported from the main frame at an intermediate point; a motormounted on the main frame; ower transmitting connect-ions located insaid casing and provided with differential gearing; and a jointed shaftconnected to be driven by the motor and arranged to transmit motion tothe differential gearing; said power transmitting connections and easingbeing provided with flexible joints at the point of connection with themain frame.

5. In a motor driven vehicle, havinga motor mounted on a yielding frameand connected to drivethe four wheels through rotary axle shafts; aflexible motor shaft, and a set of transmission shafts, having. gearconnection with the motor shaft; one of the transmission shafts beingflexibly jointed and supported from theyielding frame; together with acasing for the transmission shafts and gears, having a flexible jointinclosing the joint in the transmission shaft.

6. In a motor driven vehicle, having a motor mounted on a yielding frameand connected 'to drive the four wheels throu h rotary axle shafts; aflexible motor sha t, and asset of transmission shafts connectedtherewith by differential gearin one of the exibly jointed and supportedfrom the yielding frame; saidvehicle bein also provided with anonrotatable rear ax e connected to the yielding frame by strut rodshaving jointed connection with the frame substantially in a transverseline extending through the transmission shaft joint.

7. In a motor driven vehicle, having a motor mounted on a yieldi frameand'con nected to drive the four w ieels throu h r0 tary axle shafts; aflexible motor sha t, and a set of transmission shafts connectedtherewith by differential gearir one of the transmission shafts beingexibly jointed and sup orted from the yielding frame; said vehicle beingalso provided with nonrotatable axles connected to the yielding frame bystrut rods jointed in a transverse line extending, through thetransmission shaft joint; together with a casing for the transmissionshafts and differential gears having a flexible joint inclosing thetransmission shaft joint, and also having arms flexibly jointed to thestrut rods at an intermediate point.

8. In a motor driven vehicle, having a motor mounted on a yielding frameand conplane, with the motor shaft crossing the nected to drive the fourwheels throu h roflexible joint of the transmission shaft.

tary axle shafts; a flexible motor sha t, and In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature a set 0; trgnfsfmission1 shafts connected tfhereinthe presence of two witnesses.

witi y i erentia gearin one o the 1 transmission shafts being exiblyjointed HANS THEODORE HANSEN and supported from the yielding frame;Witnesses:

said transmission shafts and the motor shaft LEvERE'r'r C. WHEELER,

being substantially in the same vertical JAB. B. ERWIN.

